Jerusalem Not for Sale: UAE Newspaper

A major Arabic daily of the United Arab Emirates said Tuesday there was no way for any concession on Jerusalem to be made by the Palestinian negotiators at the ongoing Camp David summit, which has now entered its 15th day.

The Dubai-based Al Bayan said that with the return of United States President Bill Clinton to the summit to continue his efforts to ensure the success of the negotiations, there was an increasing fear on the part of Arabs and Muslims all over the world over the outcome of this summit regarding the future of Jerusalem.

The paper cited as the source of these fears the alleged mounting US pressure on the Palestinian negotiators to accept the US proposal for a joint control over East Jerusalem, seized by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war, between Israel and the Palestinians.

The paper said that whatever the motive behind the Americans' efforts to see the success of the summit, "it remains clear that Washington was making concerted efforts to contribute towards the Judaization of Jerusalem."

"Should the realization of President Clinton's personal achievement at the end of his tenure and the saving of (Israeli Prime Minister Ehud) Barak from his internal political crisis be at the expense of Arab holy places and red lines?" the paper asked.

The US proposal on joint control of East Jerusalem, according to the paper, would never make Arabs and Muslims forget their history and root in that holy city and would never force them to accept the status quo that was being imposed.

"What the Zionists (Israelis), supported by the Americans, refused to realize is that forging historic realities would never bring peace to the region. Jerusalem is not for sale," the paper said.



People's Daily Online --- http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/